Paola Jacket x Marlo Sweater Hack

After making a waffle knit Marlo sweater last month, I wanted to try the pattern again in a woven with a few tweaks to the design. For this version, I wanted the cardigan to be more fitted through the shoulder and chest. I pictured something closer to a light jacket but still retaining the signature details of the Marlo sweater. So I combined neckline of the Marlo with the body of the Paola workwear jacket. The result is super squishy, jacket-cardigan hybrid (the Parlo? the Maolo?) that is exactly what I wanted for spring.

Hacking the Pattern

To combine the two patterns, I used the size 14 Marlo sweater and the size 8/10 Paola Jacket. I lined up side seams and traced the Marlo neckline, center front, and hem onto the Paola, then cut out the new pattern piece. I repeated this process for the back piece as well.

The drawing above illustrates my general process for combining the patterns. Keep in mind that the Marlo has an extra neck band piece that attaches to the neckline and center front, so the size 8/10 Paola and size 14 Marlo have a similar amount of ease through the bust and waist. As I was constructing the jacket, I took in the side seams by 1 inch on each side to achieve the fit I wanted.

Construction

To construct the jacket, I used my hybrid “Parlo” front and back pieces, the Marlo neckband, the Marlo hem band, and the Paola sleeve.

Using my new pattern pieces, I assembled the cardigan as outlined in the Marlo instructions. I had this soft stitch jacquard from Merchant and Mills in my stash and knew it would work well as a cozy, quilty cardigan. For the ribbing, I chose the Merchant and Mills chunky rib knit in Ecru. This ribbing is THICK, especially when folded over to create the Marlo neckband. It works with the heftiness of the jacquard, but if I do this again, I might consider only using a single strip of the chunky rib instead of a folded band.

Given the bulkiness of this project, I used a jeans needle in my sewing machine to construct all of the main seams, and I also lengthened my stitch length to 3.0-3.75 mm depending on how much bulk I was sewing over. For the neckband and hem seams where ribbing and jacquard meet, I could barely cram these thicker seams under my serger foot. Instead, I finished all the seams with bias binding: I used a Hong Kong finish on the shoulders and side seams, and a standard double fold binding on the sleeves, armscyes, and cuffs.

The result is very satisfying, and I have been wearing this jacket non-stop since I made it. It’s warm enough to wear as an outer layer as we head into spring in the Northern hemisphere, but it is not so bulky that it can’t fit under a raincoat or heavier coat if needed. The squishy softness of the jacquard is exactly what I was hoping for, too, and I love the texture.